Method and container for shipping brick



Sept. 18, 1962 R. E. SEIDLE METHOD AND CONTAINER FOR SHIPPING BRICK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 24, 1956 INVENTOR RALPH E. SE/DLE 4Z4 ATTORNEY Sept. 18, 1962 R. E. SElDLE METHOD AND CONTAINER FOR SHIPPING BRICK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1956 INVENTOR RALPH E. SE/DLE United 3,054,362 METHUD AND CUNTAINER FGR SIMPING BRICK Raiph E. Seidie, Martinsville, Va., assignor to American Truck Body Company, a corporation of Virginia Filed Get. 24, 1956, Ser. No. 617,986 2 Claims. (Cl. 195367) This invention relates to a method of shipping brick and like stackable commodities by rail freight and to a collapsible container therefor.

The shipment of brick and like stackable commodities by rail has presented a serious problem because of the relative weight of the load and its readiness to shift under the longitudinal and lateral forces to which it is subjected in transit. As a result, brick and other relatively heavy stackable commodities, such as concrete and cinder block, customarily are transported by box car, in which they are restrained against movement by strapping, shoring or both. Sometimes the brick is shipped by flat car, in which case it is handled from plant to ultimate destination in a floored, closed-sided container in which a stack of bricks is loaded at the plant. Neither of these methods is too satisfactory, the first requiring excessive manual labor in strapping and shoring up the bricks. The second, while limiting the necessary cargo space and minimizing manual handling, ties up the containers for relatively long periods and often requires a special form of car floor which drastically limits the versatility of the fiat car.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of shipping brick and the like by flat car which, while requiring some modification of the car floor, does not limit use of the car for other purposes, holds manual handling to a minimum with consequent low breakage, and reduces the number of cars and containers required by faster turn-around.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of shipping brick and the like, wherein the brick is shipped on flat cars in stacks each contained in an open-ended, collapsible-sided container which is applied at the flat car and removed when the car reaches the rail terminal, whereby the brick can be handled at destination or even at point of departure by a brick stack grab and the containers are released for return with the car.

An additional object of the invention is to provide improved method of shipping brick and the like by ilat car wherein the brick is stacked directly on the floor of the car and held against shifting in transit, without strapping or shoring, by open-ended, collapsible-sided containers which are anchored to the car floor and adapted to be locked together for maximum restraint against shifting in transit.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved container for shipping brick and the like by flat car which is open-ended, has collapsible sides and is adapted at the flat car either to be applied to a stack of bricks or to be used in stacking the bricks, in either case enabling the stacks to be of uniform count without individual counting of the bricks.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved container for shipping brick and the like by flat car, which, while efiective in preventing shifting of the bricks during transit, is collapsible and occupies a minimum of shipping space on the return trip.

3,54,362 Patented Sept. 18, 1962 Other objects and advantages of the invention will ap pear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a somewhat schematic side elevational view of a railway flat car loaded with a plurality of stacks of bricks in accordance with the method of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of the structure of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric View on an enlarged scale of a preferred form of the collapsible container of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of the form of corner interlock shown in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary isometric view of an alternate form of corner interlock.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the preferred method and container of the present invention for shipping stackable commodities by railway fiat car is particularly adapted for the shipping of relatively heavy blocks, such as brick and concrete and cinderblock, and in its illustrated embodiment is especially designed for the shipment of brick.

In accordance with the method of this invention which, for purposes of illustration, will be described in connection with the shipping of brick, brick is loaded directly on the floor or deck 1 of a flat car 2 in a plurality of stacks 3 up to the permissible maximum load of the car, each of the stacks preferably being of a size handleable in part or in toto by a pack hauler or similar device, such as described in my Patent No. 2,73 6,443, for mechanically handling a stack of bricks. Alternatively, although not so advantageous for delivery at the job site, the stacks may be in the form of palletized loads mounted on pallets so as to be adapted to be delivered and picked up by a forklift truck. T 00, whether the flat car to be loaded is on a siding at the brick plant or some distance away, the brick may either be loaded in stack form or the stacks may be built up on the car, the latter usually being the more convenient when the car is at the plant.

In either of the above cases, the car 2, when ready to be moved, carries on its floor 1 a plurality of stacks 3 of brick, each contained in a knock-down or collapsible container 4 which is open-ended and collapsible-sided and is anchored to the floor, as by stakes 5, projecting from its bottom edge and fitting in pockets 6 provided for that purpose in the floor 1. So anchored, the containers 4 with their contained stacks of bricks are braced individually against lateral or transverse forces by chains, cables, rods or like bracing or connecting means 7, tensionable by suitable means such as turnbuckles 8 connecting the upper edges or portions of the lateral sides of each container to the adjacent sides of the car and, collectively, against longitudinal forces by similar tensionable bracing means, one set 9 connecting the upper edges or portions of the car end-facing sides of the end containers to the ends of the car and the other set 10 connecting adjoining containers to each other.

On arrival at the rail terminal, the several bracing or tie-down means 7, 9 and 10 are disengaged and the containers 4 removed from the stacks 3 to expose the brick for pickup and delivery to destination by one of the mechanicalhandling devices previously described. Occupying little shipping space when collapsed, the containers 4, in that condition, may conveniently be stacked at one end of the car for the return trip, leaving the bulk of the car free to carry other freight.

An important aspect of the present invention is the construction of the knock-down or collapsible containers 4 by which the stacks 3 of bricks are restrained against movement in transit. Since, in accordance with the method of this invention, each stack rests either on its own pallet or, and generally, directly on the floor 1 of the flat car 2, the containers 4, as opposed to the floored containers heretofore proposed, are open-ended or open at both ends. tainer made in accordance with this invention, for the conventional boxor rectangular parallelepiped-shaped stack 3, is comprised of four sidesor panels 11, releasably connected together at their contiguous or adjoining edges to form a rectangular wall 12 confining the sides of a stack 3 of brick. Eachof the'panels 11. has a rectangular frame 13 having horizontally directed top' and bottom rails 14 and 15, respectively, spacing and. con- As in the illustrated embodiment, a con-.

nected at their ends 'by a pair of vertically directed side.

rails 16, the latter preferably being reinforced intermediate their ends by a cross rail 17. The several rails14, 15, 16 and 17 conveniently may be in the form of angle irons with the outer or outwardly directed flanges 18 of the top, bottom and side rails'14, 1S and 16 bounding the edges of the panel and the inner flanges 19 of the several rails providing a substantially flat surface to which is applied a sheet 20 closing and servingas the inner or stackconfronting face of the panel. The thickness of the rails 14, 15; 16 and 17* and the gauge of the sheet '20 and whether'the latter is flat or corrugated, will depend on the metal or metals ofwhich the parts are made, the objective being to provide a panel combining adequate strength with lightness in weight; V I With the panels 11. constructed in the above manner, the downstanding stakes, blocks or feet 51 by which the containers 4 are anchored inthe pockets or sockets 6 in the floor 1 of the car 2 conveniently'may be fixed to or rigid with the bottom' rails 15 of'the several panels, two stakes desirably being provided for' each panel and the stakes beingrectangular or of other suitable shape in cross-section with the pockets, 6 of corresponding configuration. The connection of the upper edges of the several containers to each other and the car for bracing the containers in transit conveniently may be obtained through rings or loops 2 1, a pair preferably being carried by or fixedtto the top rail 1410f each of the panels 11, onetoward either side; r Several forms of removable connections between the contiguous edges of the panels 11 of each containermay. be employed, two of which are illustrated. 'As in the case of both ofthe illustrated forms, the releasable edge connections'or corner fasteners may be of the hinge type with provision made for limiting the relative inward swinging of adjoining panels so that'at the inward limit they willbe substantially at right angles to. each other with the corners 22 of the contiguous side rails 16 abutting or engaging. r

Of the two forms illustrated, that of FIGURES 3 and 4' connects adjoining panels at vertically spaced points by pin and socket hinges 23, the pins '24 on one of the contiguousedges and the sockets, 25 on the other being carried by hinge loops 'or wings 26 projecting laterally from the outer flanges'18'offthe respective side rails 16 so that the panels can be disengaged by the sliding ofone vertically relative to an adjoining panel. Preferably, the

. arrangement of pins and sockets among theseveral panels is such that the fourth panel can be slid into place from above after the other three'have been connected. In .theembodiment of FIGURE 5, adjoining panels are comiectedby a continuous hinge in the'form ofa, pair a a K 3,054,362 e c of mating or interfitting C- or hook-shaped flanges 27 extending the height ofthe panels, one fixedrto and carried by the outer flange 18 of the side rail 16 defining each edge and the C-shaped flanges being relatively turnable or rotatable through confronting cylindrical surfaces 28 so as to hold the contiguous corners 22 of the panels together at their inner limit of relative swinging and be disengage-able when the panels are swung outwardly relative to each otherf This form of connection also enables adjoining panels to be engaged and disengaged by sliding one vertically relative to the other.

Using the above-described or other suitable forms of releasable edge or corner connections, the panels may be connected and positioned'in sequence with their stakes or. posts 5 seating in the pockets 6 in the floor 1 of the car 2 and may either be applied abouta stack, if the brick is already stacked, or used as a form for stacking bricks. In the latter case, the fourth panel is left off to afford access to the interior of the container, the free ends of the opposite of the remaining three panels preferably being held, against spreading duringtthis period,"as' by tie bars 29 extending diagonally across the corners of the then three-sided container, these tie bars conveniently being of U-shape with depending legs Stldropable into holes 31 in the outer flanges 18 of the top rails 14 of the panels adjacent their contiguous edges. Whether applied before or after a stack is formed, the containers, if'of uniform size, as will generally-be the case, will contain a stack of a predetermined number of bricks, thus avoiding the necessity of counting the bricks'in either loading or unloading.

. From the above detailed description, it will beapparent that there has been provided an improved method and container for shipping brick and like stackable commodities, whereby brick may readily be shipped by flatcar, breakage is held 'to a minimum by the adaptability of the brick to mechanical handling and the containers, as wellas the flatcar, are available for re-use immediately on unloading of the car. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim: 7 7 a 1. A method of shipping brick and the like by railway flat car comprising, placinga plurality of stacks of loose brick directly upon the floor of a flat car at spaced positions longitudinally of thecar, surrounding each stack independently with an encircling wall to confine the individual bricks in the stacks to. prevent horizontal movement of individual bricks; securing the bases of the walls to the flat car to preventboth transverse and longitudinal shifting of the wall-enclosed stacks, connectingthe tops of the walls to the flat car adjoining side edges to prevent transverse tipping of the individualwall-enclosed stacks, and serially interconnecting the tops of the walls to each other longitudinally of the fiat car and the 'Walls enclosing the end stacks to the flat car adjoining ends .to hold allof the stacks against longitudinal tipping.

2. A method of shipping brick and the like .by railway flat car as claimed in claim .l,' wherein the connections between the tops of the walls and the car sides and the tops of individual walls-to .each other and-the end walls to the car ends are tensioned. a

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